Pope Leo will address the rise of AI in his first in-depth text outlining his concerns, the Vatican said on Monday, adding that it would be unveiled on 25 May by the pontiff himself.
The document, known as an encyclical, is likely to decry the use of AI in warfare and address how the technology is challenging workers’ rights, according to sources.
It will be titled Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity) and was formally signed by the pope on Friday ahead of publication, a Vatican statement said.
Leo, the first US pope, will take part in a Vatican presentation of the text, a break from papal tradition. Joining that event will be Chris Olah, co-founder of the AI company Anthropic.
Popes do not normally present their writings in public, leaving that task to Vatican cardinals and press officials. Encyclicals are one of the highest forms of teaching from a pontiff to the Church’s 1.4 billion members.
“A pope’s first encyclical typically outlines his priorities, focusing on what he sees as serious social and moral issues for the modern world,” said John Thavis, a retired Vatican correspondent who covered three papacies.
Monday’s statement said the text would address “the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence”.
Guidance
Leo has been speaking forcefully in recent weeks against the direction taken by world leadership, and angered US President Donald Trump by criticising the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The document, which has been in the works for months, is expected to address a range of social issues and may offer the church’s fullest guidance on workers’ rights in decades.
Leo, the 14th pope to choose that name, signed the text on 15 May, the 135th anniversary of an encyclical by Pope Leo XIII, who called for better pay and conditions for labourers. Leo XIV marked a year as pope on 8 May and has warned about the risks of AI several times.
Read: Elon Musk’s war on OpenAI ends in crushing defeat
He decried its use in warfare in a speech at Europe’s largest university last week, citing conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Iran as showing “the inhumane evolution of the relationship between war and new technologies in a spiral of annihilation”.
Leo’s invitation to Olah may reflect Olah’s research into mechanisms involved in the neural networks that are the basis of AI.
Anthropic has clashed with the Trump administration, notably by insisting on guardrails restricting how its models can be used for military purposes such as targeting weapons autonomously or domestic surveillance.
The last encyclical was issued by Francis in October 2024. It urged Catholics to abandon the “mad pursuit” of money and devote themselves to their faith. — Joshua McElwee, (c) 2026 Reuters
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